Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Kevin Au, Bernard Suen, Na Shen, Justine Tang. The Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong (referred as “Cheung Wholesale” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Leadership & Managing People. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Emerging markets, Growth strategy, Organizational structure.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong Case Study

William Cheung entered the fashion industry in a different manner than Vivienne Tam and Shanghai Tang. He started by working for a modest wholesaler known for its garment and apparel industries. He sharpened his design instincts by creating hit apparel items for the wholesale company. To ensure business, he needed to learn about the entire supply chain, from acquiring raw materials to manufacturing, sales and delivery. The business was flourishing but was not immune to the shortcomings of creative businesses. While working on hitting the mass market and ensuring a large output, Cheung also tested his creativity by opening his own boutique shop. After initial success, he needed to source trendy but affordable fashions to feed customer demand. Chance brought him to South Korea, and together with a local designer, they made a name for themselves and decided to attend an exhibition in Paris. Unfortunately, the experience brought them nothing but despair. Their products and image were not on par with other European brands. By that time, Cheung's boss had sold the wholesale business and the manufacturing plant to him. The setback in Paris caused him to rethink his business. He decided to focus on product innovation and brand-building, and with much effort gained the recognition of Galeries Lafayette - a Parisian department store famous for trendsetting. This case shows how Cheung, in moving his company forward, was able to overcome the weaknesses of being an apparel wholesaler and a fashion retailer. It affords a discussion of how Cheung was able to exploit and grow the wholesale business and move into branding and franchising. Research related to creative industry and ambidexterity is also covered in the case. While Cheung's success was commendable, he faced a number of challenges as Koyo Jeans strove for international success.

Case Authors : Kevin Au, Bernard Suen, Na Shen, Justine Tang

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas : Emerging markets, Growth strategy, Organizational structure

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10004257)	-10004257	-	-
Year 1	3453032	-6551225	3453032	0.9434	3257577
Year 2	3966185	-2585040	7419217	0.89	3529891
Year 3	3955097	1370057	11374314	0.8396	3320776
Year 4	3225072	4595129	14599386	0.7921	2554559
TOTAL			14599386		12662803

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2658546

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Payback Period
2. Internal Rate of Return
3. Profitability Index
4. Net Present Value

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Cheung Wholesale have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.
2. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Cheung Wholesale shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Leadership & Managing People Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Cheung Wholesale often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Cheung Wholesale needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10004257)	-10004257	-	-
Year 1	3453032	-6551225	3453032	0.8696	3002637
Year 2	3966185	-2585040	7419217	0.7561	2999006
Year 3	3955097	1370057	11374314	0.6575	2600540
Year 4	3225072	4595129	14599386	0.5718	1843945
TOTAL					10446128

The Net NPV after 4 years is 441871

(10446128 - 10004257 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10004257)	-10004257	-	-
Year 1	3453032	-6551225	3453032	0.8333	2877527
Year 2	3966185	-2585040	7419217	0.6944	2754295
Year 3	3955097	1370057	11374314	0.5787	2288829
Year 4	3225072	4595129	14599386	0.4823	1555301
TOTAL					9475952

The Net NPV after 4 years is -528305

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9475952 - 10004257 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Cheung Wholesale to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Cheung Wholesale has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Cheung Wholesale can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Cheung Wholesale, then the stock price of the Cheung Wholesale should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Cheung Wholesale should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong

References & Further Readings

Kevin Au, Bernard Suen, Na Shen, Justine Tang (2018), "Internationalization of Koyo Jeans from Hong Kong Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.